Next ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Book To Tell The Story Of Michael Burnham’s Season 3 Gap Year [UPDATED]

After jumping forward to the year 3188 in the season three premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, Michael Burnham had to wait around for a year to meet up with the rest of the crew who arrived in 3189 in episode two. And thanks to Pocket Books, Michael’s story from that year will now be told. We have the details for that and new books tied to Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

May – Wonderlands, Michael’s missing year from Discovery S3

The next Discovery novel is written by Una McCormack who penned the recently released Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway (see review) and the first Star Trek: Picard tie-in, The Last Best Hope (see review).

Here is the official synopsis:

In a desperate attempt to prevent the artificial intelligence known as Control from seizing crucial information that could destroy all sentient life, Commander Michael Burnham donned the “Red Angel” time-travel suit and guided the USS Discovery into the future and out of harm’s way. But something has gone terribly wrong, and Burnham has somehow arrived in a place far different from anything she could have imagined—more than nine hundred years out of her time, with Discovery nowhere to be found, and where the mysterious and cataclysmic event known as “the Burn” has utterly decimated Starfleet and, with it, the United Federation of Planets. How then can she possibly exist day-to-day in this strange place? What worlds are out there waiting to be discovered? Do any remnants of Starfleet and the Federation possibly endure? With more questions than answers, Burnham must nevertheless forge new friendships and new alliances if she hopes to survive this future long enough for the Discovery crew to find her….

The book will be released on May 18, 2021. You can pre-order it at Amazon in paperback for $16.00, or Kindle for $11.07.

UPDATE: Cover (not final) released by Simon & Schuster

June – Living Memory, a TOS movie-era adventure

Pocket Books is returning to the movie era with Star Trek: The Original Series: Living Memory, which is written by Christopher L. Bennett.

Synopsis:

While attempting to settle in as commandant of Starfleet Academy, Admiral James T. Kirk must suddenly contend with the controversial, turbulent integration of an alien warrior caste into the student body—and quickly becomes embroiled in conflict when the Academy controversy escalates to murder. Meanwhile, Captain Spock of the USS Enterprise and Commander Pavel Chekov of the USS Reliant are investigating a series of powerful cosmic storms seemingly targeting Federation worlds—unstoppable outbursts emitting from the very fabric of space. Endeavoring to predict where the lethal storms will strike next, Spock and Chekov make the shocking discovery that the answer lies in Commander Nyota Uhura’s past—one that she no longer remembers….

The book will be released on June 15, 2021. You can pre-order it at Amazon in paperback for $16.00, or Kindle for $11.07.

July – Shadows Have Offended, a TNG TV-era novel

The last new bit of book details are for Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shadows Have Offended which will be the debut Trek novel for Cassandra Rose Clarke. The novel focusing on Troi, Crusher, and Worf is set during the seventh season of the TV series.

Synopsis:

The USS Enterprise has been granted the simple but unavoidable honor of ferrying key guests to Betazed for a cultural ceremony. En route, sudden tragedy strikes a Federation science station on the isolated planet Kota, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard has no qualms sending William Riker, Data, and Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher to investigate. But what begins as routine assignments for the two parties soon descends into chaos: Picard, Worf, and Deanna Troi must grapple with a dangerous diplomatic crisis as historic artifacts are stolen in the middle of a high-profile ceremony…while nothing is as it seems on Kota. A mounting medical emergency coupled with the science station’s failing technology—and no hope of rescue—has Doctor Crusher racing against time to solve a disturbing mystery threatening the lives of all her colleagues….

The book will be released on July 13, 2021. You can pre-order it at Amazon in paperback for $16.00, or Kindle for $11.07.

There are more Pocket Star Trek books lined up for each month from August – December, but so far there are no details available or even titles and authors.


Find more Star Trek book news and reviews at TrekMovie.com.

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A past that Nyota Uhura no longer remembers? Perhaps this is linked to the Nomad incident? Sounds intriguing!

My thought, too.

I’m here for all things Michael Burnham and Nyota Uhura!!!

That’s a Good Trekkie right there!

Totally agree.

Sounds fantastic. Can’t wait!

Might as well be Star trek 90210 : Gap Year

I know, I know, i’m trolling……..lol

“A man’s got to know his limitations.”

All that ado about her missing year and they … burn it off in a stinking tie-in novel?!?

Every time I think I have reached the maximum extent to which I can dislike this production, they find a new way to get me.

Man Bryant you were thisclose to enjoying this season! You were so much more into it at the beginning and saying nice things about it. But I won’t lie, I kind of missed old Bryant lol. So welcome back! ;D

And I generally liked this season, certainly more than the last two at least. But yeah, Discovery still has a ways to go before it gets to ‘great’ Star Trek for me. Right now, it’s just OK Trek and still the second to worst show, just above Picard.

Perhaps we’ll still get a Short Trek or two for this in-between period.

Can’t see them doing more than that on-screen.

In terms of a novel, they’ve tasked Una McCormack who is their strongest author on the sociology of alien races. Her work on the Cardassians and Romulans is brilliant. I’m looking forward to see what she does to enrich the backstory of the Chain.

The decision to explore her gap year in a book makes a lot of sense from a production standpoint. From what was said Burnham spent the year traveling around the galaxy (as much as she could given dilithium shortage) searching for clues to the burn and searching for Discovery. From a production standpoint this would mean lots and lots of different locations (either built sets, virtual locations or places shot outside the studio), countless characters she meets along the way (i.e. lots of actors), costumes, props, alien makeup etc. These things are much easier to realize in a book where everything takes place in the reader’s imagination than it is to do it “for real”. I am interested how they’ll tackle this on Strange New Worlds if that show is really going to be much more planet-of-the-week type stories.

yeah, thats what I thought,”It’s a BUDGET ISSUE!”

What a weirdly moronic take? That’s like saying you can’t like TOS movies because they filled in the 3.5 year gap gap between the end of the TOS five year mission with the launch of the revamped Enterprise with some novels — which is eventually just what they did. Just a silly comment, and which father highlights the nitpicking extremes some fans are taking to slam DSC. Sheesh!

The Kirk and TNG books sound interesting, but I can’t imagine any possible scenario where I’d be interested in reading about Burnham. I can’t even stand her on-screen. Worst character Trek has ever come up with, imo.

Worst Trek Character? For me that dubious honor belongs to Los Angeles Attorney Melvin Belli!

I love her on screen wish I could invite her to dinner at my house…… I like her Mom too, I was all into the casting ——intrigued with each episode, most times I watch them twice